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Central Notes: Bulls, Pistons Pick, Weaver, Mobley

May 18th, 2023 at 5:54pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

After finishing outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Bulls face some major decisions with the pricier players on their roster, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes in a new mailbag.

Mayberry believes Chicago may look to finally dismantle its roster following two trade deadlines and one offseason of extreme inactivity. Veteran center Nikola Vucevic is an unrestricted free agent this summer, while 33-year-old small forward DeMar DeRozan will become extension-eligible during the offseason.

There are a variety of approaches the Bulls could take in dealing with long-injured point guard Lonzo Ball, still not back after undergoing three major knee surgeries. Ball has two years and $41.8MM remaining on his deal with Chicago, and it already appears possible he will miss most or all of 2023/24.

The futures of Bulls role players Andre Drummond and Coby White are also addressed in the piece.

There’s more out of the Central Division:

  • After winding up with the fifth pick in this year’s draft, the rebuilding Pistons could opt to venture in a variety of directions, including a possible trade of the asset. James Edwards III of The Athletic unpacks some possible prospects Detroit could target if it retains the pick. Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscription required) examines some other potential draft options for the Pistons.
  • Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is putting an optimistic spin on a disappointing result, Curtis writes in a separate piece (subscription required). Detroit entered this year’s draft lottery with the best chance (14%) of nabbing the top pick and a potential generational talent in projected top selection Victor Wembanyama this year. “I wasn’t going in expecting the No. 1 pick,” Weaver said. “I don’t believe in luck and chance. If we landed there, we would’ve been excited, but we’re prepared to move forward. It’s not (No. 1) or bust.” Detroit last had the No. 1 pick in 2021, which it used on point guard Cade Cunningham.
  • For the Cavaliers to take a leap into meaningful playoff contention, power forward Evan Mobley needs to continue to develop, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
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NBA Announces 2022/23 All-Defensive Teams

May 9th, 2023 at 1:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA has officially announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2022/23 season.

A total of 100 media members vote on the All-Defensive awards, with players receiving two points for a First Team vote and one point for a Second Team vote. This year’s All-Defensive teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Unsurprisingly, Jackson – who was this season’s Defensive Player of the Year – received the most First Team votes (96) and showed up on the most overall ballots (99). Only one voter didn’t have Jackson on either All-Defensive team.

Milwaukee teammates Holiday (94) and Lopez (85) received the second- and third-most First Team votes. No other player earned more than 50.

While the Bucks have two players on the First Team, it’s a bit surprising to see former DPOY Giannis Antetokounmpo miss out altogether. Antetokounmpo earned 16 First Team votes and 28 Second Team votes for a total of 60 points, the most of any player who didn’t earn All-Defensive honors. Although he received more total points than Brooks or Adebayo, Giannis didn’t make the cut because there were four forwards with more points than him.

Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (40 points), Celtics guard Marcus Smart (35), Nets guard Mikal Bridges (33), and Nets center Nic Claxton (25) would have joined Antetokounmpo on a hypothetical All-Defensive Third Team as the highest vote-getters who fell just short.

A total of 38 players showed up on at least one ballot — the full voting results can be viewed here.

Being named to an All-Defensive team will benefit a pair of players financially, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). White earned a $250K bonus for his Second Team nod, while Holiday will receive $129,600 for making the First Team.

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Cavaliers Won’t Consider Replacing J.B. Bickerstaff

April 28th, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Cavaliers‘ moves this summer won’t include a coaching change, writes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic. Speaking to reporters on Friday, president of basketball operations Koby Altman quashed any rumors that the team might consider replacing head coach J.B. Bickerstaff following a first-round playoff exit.

“Yes. Absolutely,” Altman replied when asked if the organization remains committed to Bickerstaff. “There’s no question about that. I mean, look what he’s accomplished. It’s actually funny, I’ve not heard that, maybe because I haven’t been reading or not on Twitter, but I’ve not heard that noise. So that’s not even a question. […] End that speculation.”

Bickerstaff led the Cavaliers to a fourth-place finish in the East, and their 51 wins were the most since LeBron James left for Los Angeles in 2018. Altman said he worked with Bickerstaff on exit interviews this week, giving advice to players on how to improve during the offseason. He also credited Bickerstaff with building a culture in the post-LeBron era.

“You can’t fluke your way into 51 wins,” Altman said. “You can’t fluke your way into the No. 1 defensive rating in the NBA. That’s coaching. I know we have great defensive personnel, but you have to have buy-in from them, and that comes from the head coach. And so we’re extremely happy with J.B. and the job he’s done.”

Altman addressed several other topics in his session with the media:

  • The Cavaliers won’t panic after their short playoff run, and Altman said fans shouldn’t expect “sweeping changes” this summer, Russo adds. Many of the team’s rotation players were in the playoffs for the first time, and Altman believes the organization can build on that experience. “I also think the strength of our roster is the fact that we’re positioned really well for the future with the guys that are most important under contract,” he said. “… We have to look at what’s the piece that we really want to improve and enhance and then use the vehicle that we have to go do that.”
  • Re-signing free agent forward Caris LeVert will be an offseason priority, Altman said. Russo notes that LeVert’s role with the team changed after Donovan Mitchell was acquired last summer, and he evolved into a sixth man and secondary playmaker as the season progressed. “He’s a big part of our attack,” Altman said, “and it’s a big reason why, at the deadline, I didn’t do anything because he was a big part of what we were doing and I didn’t want to lose that. So we’d be fortunate to have him back.”
  • Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley were outplayed during the Knicks’ series, but there’s no thought of splitting up the big man duo, Altman adds. Allen is signed for three more years at $20MM annually, and Mobley is still on his rookie contract. “When you have the level of success that you’ve had with those two, it’s really hard to say, ‘Oh let’s just break them up based off one playoff series,’” Altman stated.
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Jaren Jackson Jr. Named Defensive Player Of Year

April 17th, 2023 at 6:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. has been named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, the NBA on TNT tweets. Jackson received 56 of the 100 first-place votes, according to an NBA press release.

The Bucks’ Brook Lopez and Cavaliers’ Evan Mobley were the other finalists. Lopez was the runner-up, notching 31 first-place votes while Mobley received eight. Draymond Green (3) and Bam Adebayo (1) also received first-place votes and finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Joel Embiid claimed the final first-place vote, though the Sixers star finished ninth overall, behind Giannis Antetokounmpo, OG Anunoby, and Jrue Holiday. Nic Claxton, Alex Caruso, and Jimmy Butler also appeared on at least one ballot.

Jackson led the NBA in blocks per game (3.0) and also averaged one steal in 63 regular-season appearances for the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. He had a career-best 2.0 Defensive Box Plus/Minus rating and a 3.8 Defensive Win Shares rating, ranking him among the top 10 in the league in both categories.

Lopez averaged a career-high 2.5 blocks while serving as the defensive anchor for the Eastern Conference’s top seed. His total of 193 blocks in 78 games led the league during the regular season.

Mobley averaged 1.5 blocks per game and, along with Jarrett Allen, anchored a defense that limited opponents to a NBA-low 106.9 points per game.

The Celtics’ Marcus Smart scored a rare victory for a guard when he won the award last season. Rudy Gobert won it as a member of the Jazz three of the previous four years. Antetokounmpo won it during the pandemic-shortened 2019/20 season.

Among active players, Green (2016/17 season) and Kawhi Leonard (2014/15 and 2015/16) have also earned the honor.

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Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Allen, Mobley, Playoff Test, Green

April 16th, 2023 at 2:06pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The stink of last year’s 4-2 first-round postseason Jazz loss to the Mavericks lingers with All-Star Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Now, Mitchell is looking to prove himself anew with Cleveland during its first-round matchup against the Knicks. The 6’1″ swingman spent his boyhood as a Knicks fan in Elmsford, New York.

“I’ve felt that way the whole year. That’s just been kind of my M.O. throughout my career — trying to prove my caliber of play,” Mitchell said ahead of the two teams’ first playoff meeting this weekend.

“I know who I am and these guys know who I am and what I’m capable of and I just go out there and be leader,” Mitchell continued. “This is a team game and we’re not going to win if I just tried to shoot every single time. Got to do this as a group collectively. That’s what got us to this point. Just continue to do that.”

There’s more out of Cleveland:

  • The Rockets played an outsized role in helping build the Cavaliers’ current starting frontcourt of center Jarrett Allen and power forward Evan Mobley, as Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports details. When trying to accommodate star guard James Harden‘s 2021 trade demand, Houston preferred to acquire a first-round pick instead of Allen, who was slipped to the Cavs. In that summer’s draft, the Rockets selected Jalen Green with the No. 2 pick, clearing the way for Cleveland to grab Mobley with the third pick.
  • In their first game hosting the fifth-seeded Knicks Saturday, the Cavaliers couldn’t close out New York and fell 101-97 at home. Fedor writes in a separate piece that Cleveland failed to effectively respond to a late Knicks rally, and that New York’s advantages in offensive rebounding and second-chance points helped put the Knicks in the driver’s seat.
  • The Cavaliers need to explore whether veteran marksman Danny Green can still contribute some of his signature playoff shot-making, opines Jason Lloyd of The Athletic. The three-time champ may not be the same defender he was in his prime, but the 36-year-old can still help Cleveland in one very critical area: corner triples. Cavs swingmen Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert, ahead of Green in the team’s rotation, combined to go a lackluster 0-of-7 from deep.
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NBA Announces 2022/23 Award Finalists

April 14th, 2023 at 5:55pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA announced its finalists for all the major 2022/23 regular season awards on Friday evening (all Twitter links can be found here).

Here is the full list of finalists for each of the awards, listed in alphabetical order:

Most Valuable Player

Defensive Player of the Year

Rookie of the Year

Most Improved Player

Sixth Man of the Year

Coach of the Year

Clutch Player of the Year

TNT will begin announcing the winners next week during its coverage of the 2023 playoffs, according to the NBA. The three finalists for each award are based on voting results from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Antetokounmpo, the league’s back-to-back MVP winner in 2018/19 and ’19/20, has finished fourth and third in MVP voting over the past two seasons, respectively. He averaged a career-high 31.1 PPG along with 11.8 RPG and 5.7 APG on .553/.275/.645 shooting in 63 games (32.1 MPG) this season in leading the Bucks to the NBA’s best record at 58-24.

Embiid, the MVP runner-up in each of the past two years, led the league in scoring for the second consecutive season, posting a career-high 33.1 PPG along with 10.2 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.0 SPG and 1.7 BPG on .548/.330/.857 shooting in 66 games (34.6 MPG). The Sixers finished third in the East with a 54-28 record, though it’s worth noting that record is also the third-best mark in the league.

Jokic, the reigning back-to-back MVP, averaged 24.8 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 9.8 APG and 1.3 SPG on .632/.383/.822 shooting in 69 games (33.7. MPG). In addition to breaking Wilt Chamberlain‘s record for most assists per game by a center (8.6), Jokic led the Nuggets to the top seed in the West with a 53-29 record.

It’s long been assumed that Banchero, Brown and Fox were the runaway favorites for their respective awards. Given Embiid’s excellent play to end the season and Denver’s stumble to the finish line, it seems likely that Embiid will edge out Jokic and Antetokounmpo to win his first MVP — all three finalists are more than deserving, just as they were last year.

However, the other three awards are more up in the air. Jackson and Lopez have been considered the betting favorites for DPOY for much of the second half of the season. Mobley’s inclusion is somewhat surprising, but maybe it shouldn’t be — the Cavs finished with the league’s top defense and he is arguably the best defender on the team.

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Cavaliers Notes: Okoro, Wade, LeVert, Mitchell, Mobley

April 3rd, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Arthur Hill

As the Cavaliers enter the final week of the regular season, they’re unsure if Isaac Okoro will be available when the playoffs start, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Okoro is dealing with soreness in his left knee that has been bothering him for a while. He logged just nine minutes in last Sunday’s game and hasn’t been able to play or practice since then.

“We need to get him to a place better than he was,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “If Isaac doesn’t play, it’s because he’s in real discomfort. We’ve got to make sure we’re taking the steps to get him to a place of comfort and safety. That’s more important. It’s something we’re just monitoring every day and hopefully he continues to improve.”

Bickerstaff admitted last night that the team isn’t sure if Okoro will be able to recover in time for a first-round series. He’s the Cavs’ best perimeter defender and the first option to start at small forward, and Fedor states that his absence was notable as the defense struggled in this week’s losses to the Hawks and Knicks.

There’s more from Cleveland:

  • Dean Wade started in place of Okoro on Sunday as the Cavaliers try to keep Caris LeVert in his preferred role of sixth man, Fedor adds. Wade gives the team more size, but he’s still dealing with a painful shoulder injury that required surgery earlier this season. LeVert won the starting job in training camp and has started 30 of the 73 games he’s played, but he feels more comfortable in a reserve role. “With Don (Donovan Mitchell) and D.G. (Darius Garland), they have a good chemistry, especially when it comes to who is making the plays and things like that,” LeVert said. “I feel like me coming off the bench is kind of a good switch-up and keeps it balanced with myself and Ricky (Rubio). I know the responsibility of those guys and I know what I’m capable of, so I feel like me coming off the bench is kind of like a secret weapon in a sense just because we all know what I can do on both ends of the floor.”
  • Mitchell made history with his 40-point performance Sunday, Fedor states in another Cleveland.com story. He became the first Cavaliers player with three consecutive 40-point games and broke LeBron James‘ team record with his 12th 40-point outing of the season.
  • Cavaliers players and coaches are touting Evan Mobley as Defensive Player of the Year, Fedor writes in a separate piece. It’s rare for a second-year player to be considered for that honor, but Mobley has been a difference maker no matter who he’s match up with. “He has the versatility to guard every position,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s been that for a team that’s been the number one defense for a majority of the year. Night by night his matchup changes, but his responsibilities don’t.”
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Central Notes: Drummond, G. Allen, Mobley, Casey

March 30th, 2023 at 8:01am CST by Luke Adams

After Bulls center Andre Drummond posted on Twitter on Tuesday that he was deleting his social media apps in order to “focus on my mental health,” he was listed as out for Wednesday’s game vs. the Lakers for personal reasons.

According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan said he sent a text message to Drummond to let him know “we’re all here to try to help him.” Donovan added that there’s optimism that the big man will be with the team when it travels to Charlotte for a Friday game against the Hornets.

“Your heart goes out for anybody. I think a lot of times as we come here and play games, there’s also a human side and personal side to all these guys. And you feel bad when anybody is going through something like that,” Donovan said. “I think you try to give as much support as you can. We have the resources inside the organization to help.”

Bulls star DeMar DeRozan is among the NBA players who have spoken in recent years about dealing with mental health issues and depression. DeRozan said his approach with Drummond will be to give him space but let him know he’s available if his teammate wants to talk.

“Give him my positive words and let him know we’re all there for him,” DeRozan said. “That’s the most we can do. Allow him to open up on his terms.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

  • Bucks guard Grayson Allen earned a $425K bonus when he appeared in his 70th game of the season on Wednesday night, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Because Allen only played 66 games in 2021/22, that bonus has been considered unlikely, but it will now be considered likely in 2023/24, bumping his cap hit for next season from $8.5MM to $8.925MM.
  • Michael Pina of The Ringer takes an in-depth look at Evan Mobley‘s trajectory toward stardom, exploring the ongoing development and potential ceiling of the Cavaliers big man. “It’s rare to find somebody so mature right away on both ends of the court,” teammate Ricky Rubio said of Mobley. “I wouldn’t be surprised if his career ended up in the Hall of Fame.”
  • In a pair of mailbags for The Athletic, James L. Edwards fields Pistons-related questions on potential trade targets, the team’s crowded frontcourt, Dwane Casey‘s future, and much more. Regarding Casey, Edwards believes it’s more likely than not that the veteran coach will be back for next season, perhaps with a mandate to at least make the play-in tournament in 2023/24.
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Cavaliers Notes: Allen, LeVert, Mobley, Playoffs

March 22nd, 2023 at 1:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The right eye contusion that sidelined Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen for four games still hasn’t fully healed, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. However, the big man was able to return to action on Tuesday in Brooklyn and was effective against his former team in his first game back, scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in 35 minutes.

“It’s better,” Allen said of his eye injury. “Not 100 percent. But doctors said it was good to go and good to play and it won’t get worse, so I trust the team and was ready to go again.”

According to Fedor, Allen said before the game that he’s still experiencing some blurriness, which is expected to persist for at least a couple more weeks, but he joked that he’s “not seeing three rims.” While the 24-year-old will likely continue receiving treatment through the end of the month, he’s just relieved that the injury wasn’t as serious as it could have been.

“I think everybody thought it was going to be worse,” Allen said. “The pain I felt was immense. I didn’t know what to expect from it but glad it turned out how it did. … Nothing severely structural was wrong. I can deal with the pain. I can deal with the days of recovery. I just know that my future is stable in terms of my eye.”

Here’s more on the Cavs:

  • Cavaliers wing Caris LeVert struggled last month after being at the center of trade rumors leading up to the Feb. 9 deadline, but has bounced back nicely in March, scoring at least 15 points in each of his last six games with a scorching hot .514 3PT% during that time. In a pair of articles for Cleveland.com, Fedor takes a closer look at LeVert’s role and his “unsung” contributions, and suggests that the Cavs have interest in signing the 28-year-old to a multiyear deal when he reaches free agency this summer.
  • Evan Mobley is taking the second-year leap that the Cavaliers were hoping for, Fedor writes for Cleveland.com. Since one of his worst outings of the season against Phoenix on January 4, Mobley has raised his game to a new level, emerging as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and averaging more than 18 points per game. “It’s hard to say and put a number on it or quantify it, but I think he is a much better basketball player now than he was even in October or December,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I think people get hung up a lot on the numbers. You can watch it. If you’ve got a feel for the game, you see where he can impact the game in the way that he does. Now for the naked eye, he’s throwing numbers to go along with it.”
  • Although Fedor recently stated in a Cleveland.com mailbag that Brooklyn is the Cavaliers’ preferred first-round playoff opponent, the outcome of Tuesday’s game made that matchup a longer shot. While the Cavs appear pretty locked into the East’s No. 4 seed (they’re 3.5 games from the next-closest team in either direction), the Nets now trail the No. 5 Knicks by 2.5 games following Tuesday’s loss to Cleveland.
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Central Notes: Middleton, Ingles, Mobley, Allen, Duarte, Mathurin

March 18th, 2023 at 5:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

The good news for the Bucks on their most recent road trip went beyond their 2-1 record, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Khris Middleton and Joe Ingles, who both dealt with injuries earlier in the season, appear fully healthy and ready for the playoffs.

Owczarski notes that Middleton played nearly 34 minutes against both the Warriors and Kings and had his best game of the season with 31 points at Sacramento. Middleton missed the first 20 games of the season while recovering from surgery and was sidelined with knee soreness around the All-Star break, but he says he’s finally starting to feel like himself on the court. Ingles returned in mid-December after surgery for a torn left knee ligament, but his play has been up and down until recently.

Middleton and Ingles formed a bond during their rehab sessions, and coach Mike Budenholzer plans to use them together as much as possible.

“We like the idea of Joe and Khris playing together on the wings and having two guys that can really play pick and roll and are great at kind of picking apart (a defense), finding open guys,” Budenholzer said. “They gotta put somebody on both of them so maybe we can find things that we like, ways to attack with both of them on the court.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley said being more aggressive and learning how NBA defenders react has helped him get to the foul line more often, per Kelsy Russo of The Athletic. “I feel like as a big guy, if I give a good pump fake, they’re probably going to go for it,” Mobley said. “If they don’t, I’m already at the basket. I’ve just been pump-faking more, and then once they’re in the air just trying to draw contact and get the foul, and one.”
  • Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen missed his fourth straight game Friday with an eye injury, but coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he has been able to do individual workouts, Russo tweets. “He’s seen a couple of specialists now and structurally everything is OK to this point,” Bickerstaff said. ” … He’s doing more on the court. And it’s just a matter of when he can safely return because of the eye.”
  • Chris Duarte and Bennedict Mathurin will sit out Saturday’s game, but Pacers coach Rick Carlisle suggests there’s a chance they can return Monday, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.
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